William lang



(No Model.)

I W. LANG BYE FOR LACING STRINGS 0F SHOES.

No. 477,903. Patented June 28, 1892.

WITNESSES:

W MM Arron/VH5.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM LANG, OF BROOKLYN, NEWV YORK.

EYE FOR LACING-STRINGS OF SHOES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 477,903, dated June 28, 1892. Application filed April 3, 1891. Serial No. 387,520- (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.- Be it known that I, \VILLIAM LANG, a citi zen of the United States, residing at Brooklyn,

in the county of Kings and State of New York,

have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Eyes for the Lacing-Strings of Shoes, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an improved device for lacing shoes to be used in place of the well-known lacing-hooks in general use, the object of my invention being to substitute lacing-eyes of simple and strong construction, that can be applied by means of an ordinary eyeleting machine to the flaps of the shoe, so that the lacingcords can be passed through said eyes and retained in the same without being detached when opening the shoe.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents a perspective view of a shoe with my improved lacingeyes for the lacingstrings of the same. Figs. 2 and 3 are perspective views, respectively, of the Wire eye and of the eyelet for attaching the latter to the flap of the shoe. Fig. 4: is a perspective View showing the wire eye inserted into the upper enlarged part of the eyelet. Fig. 5 is side View of the eye, showing the upper part of the eyelet clinched to the base of the eye; and Fig. 6 is a side view of the eye, showing the lower part of the eyelet clinched on the leather flap of the shoe, so as to hold the latter in position thereon.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

In the drawings, A represents a shoe, the flaps of which are provided at -their lower parts with ordinary eyes for the lace-cords and at their upper parts with my improved eyes for guiding the lacing-strings B.

Each of the lacing-eyes is constructed of two partsa wire eye 0 and a sheet-metal eyelet O. The wire eye 0 is composed of an inverted-U-shapedloop cl and a ring-shaped base cl, said parts being composed of wire in one piece, one half of the base being bent laterally from the lower end of one leg of the loop and the other half thereof extending laterally from the lower end of the other leg. The metallic eyelet O is formed of a lower tubular shank e and of an upper enlarged tubular port-ion e, between which and the lower portion a a shoulder e of slightly-larger .0 the base 61' of the same is first inserted into the upper enlarged portion 6 of the eye let G, which enlarged portion is then clinched over the base of the wire eye 0, so as to hold the same firmly in position, as shown, respectively, in Figs. 4 and 5. The shank e of the eyelet is then inserted into a hole that is punched into the flap of the shoe and clinched thereto, as shown in Fig. 6, which operation is accomplishedvby an ordinary clinching device, which spreads the shank and applies it rigidly to the flap of the shoe.

The eyes are preferably supplied to the trade in the form. shown in Fig. 5t-hat is to say, with the upper portion of the eyelet clinched around the base of the wire eye, which is then coated with a suitable lacquer by japanning or otherwise. The shanks of the eyelets are then attached to the flaps of the shoes by the shoe manufacturer by anysuitable clinching device and form a simple, strong, and very effective device for lacing the strings of shoes without detaching them from the eyes.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- A lacing-eye for shoes, comprising an eye composed of a loop and ring-shaped base, one

half of the base being attached to one leg of the loop and the other half to the other leg of the loop, said ring and base being composed of wire in one piece, and an eyelet consisting of a tubular shank having an enlarged socket at its upper end for receiving said ring-shaped base, the metal of said socket being clinched over said base, substantially as described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I have signedmy name in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

. WILLIAM LANG.

Witnesses:

PAUL GOEPEL, A. M. BAKER. 

